Nitric oxide (NO) is synthesized in normal muscle fibers by the neuronal (n
NOS) and the endothelial (ecNOS) isoforms of nitric oxide synthase (NOS). N
O contributes to the regulation of several processes such as excitation-con
traction coupling and mitochondrial respiration. We assessed in this study
whether NO production is regulated in response to an acute increase in musc
le activation. Three groups of anesthetized, tracheostomized, spontaneously
breathing rats were examined after an experimental period of 3 h. Group 1
served as a control (no loading), whereas groups 2 and 3 were exposed to mo
derate and severe inspiratory resistive loads, respectively, which elicited
tracheal pressures of 30 and 70% of maximum, respectively. Ventilatory (di
aphragm, intercostal, and transverse abdominis) and limb (gastrocnemius) mu
scles were excised at the end of the experimental period and examined for N
OS activity and NOS protein expression. Neither submaximal nor maximum trac
heal pressures were altered after 3 h of resistive loading. Diaphragmatic a
nd intercostal muscle NOS activities declined significantly in response to
moderate and severe loading, whereas those of transverse abdominis and gast
rocnemius muscles remained unchanged. On the other hand, resistive loading
had no significant effect on ventilatory and limb muscle NOS isoform expres
sion. We propose that a contraction-induced decline in muscle NOS activity
represents a compensatory mechanism through which muscle contractility and
mitochondrial function are protected from the inhibitory influence of NO.